To check the current market price, open Spotvolt’s electricity price table for Latvia. Select today or tomorrow, choose whether to include VAT, and compare individual 15-minute intervals. This guide explains what those numbers mean and how to turn them into a useful plan for your household.
It is written for readers who already have a dynamic tariff or are considering one. All figures in the worked examples are illustrative. They are not today’s actual prices, measured customer savings or a promise about your next bill.
The quick answer: the table shows Nord Pool day-ahead market prices for Latvia’s LV bidding area, in euro cents per kilowatt-hour. Each value applies to a particular 15-minute delivery interval. Times follow Europe/Riga. Supplier and network charges are separate.
What is the electricity market price?
Nord Pool is an electricity exchange. Its day-ahead market produces prices for delivery intervals in different bidding areas. Latvia has its own area, LV. Before comparing two websites, check that both display Latvia and the same date.
The wholesale market price is not automatically the final retail price in your contract. A dynamic tariff links your electricity costs to the market, while the contract defines the billing method, supplier markup and other fees. Under a fixed-price contract, daily wholesale fluctuations generally do not change the agreed electricity rate.
For a household, a price chart is especially useful when some consumption can move to another time. A cheaper period six hours from now cannot meet a need that must be satisfied immediately. The opportunity comes from having a real choice about when an appliance starts and how long it runs.
Hourly prices versus 15-minute prices
People still use the phrase “hourly electricity prices”, but current day-ahead prices need a more precise view. Europe’s coupled day-ahead market introduced 15-minute intervals for delivery from 1 October 2025. There are now four price periods within an hour.
Between noon and 13:00, separate prices can apply to 12:00–12:15, 12:15–12:30, 12:30–12:45 and 12:45–13:00. An hourly average smooths those differences. It is convenient for an overview, but can conceal a short expensive or inexpensive period.
Market intervals and consumption metering are related but distinct. Elektrum reports that actual 15-minute consumption data became available to Sadales tīkls customers from 1 February 2026. During the transition, hourly consumption was divided into four equal parts. Check your own supplier portal and contract for the data and settlement method used at your property.
A normal 24-hour day contains 96 intervals. The number can differ when clocks change between summer and winter time. When comparing records, use the full date and time zone, rather than relying on an hour label alone.
How to check today’s price and the current interval
- Select “Today”. Check the displayed date. A screenshot or search snippet can refer to an earlier day.
- Check the VAT setting. Compare prices on the same tax basis when using another website.
- Read “Now”. In today’s view, this identifies the current 15-minute interval. It is not the daily average.
- Compare neighbouring intervals. An appliance that runs for longer than 15 minutes needs more than one cell’s price.
- Evaluate the full operating period. The cheapest cell is not necessarily the best start time for a two-hour cycle.
Spotvolt obtains prices from Elering. Missing values are shown as unavailable; they are not treated as zero or as a forecast. The “Updated” timestamp indicates when the data was loaded. Refreshing the page does not cause the exchange to run a new auction.
When can you see tomorrow’s prices?
Select “Tomorrow” to see the next day’s published prices. They appear after market results are published and the data reaches the feed. If the view is still empty, check again later. An empty interval does not mean free electricity.
A published day-ahead price is a market result for that delivery period, rather than a guess based on yesterday’s chart. It does not determine what prices will be next week or next month. Choosing a long-term tariff therefore takes more than one unusually cheap day.
If an appliance runs across midnight, include intervals from both days. A two-hour cycle starting at 23:30 uses prices from today and tomorrow. A reliable calculation needs all the relevant intervals to be available.
What does one kWh cost? Converting the units
Different sources show the same price in different units. One megawatt-hour equals 1,000 kilowatt-hours, and one euro equals 100 cents. A conversion prevents the mistaken impression that electricity is a hundred times more expensive on another site.
- EUR/MWh to EUR/kWh: divide by 1,000.
- EUR/MWh to cents/kWh: divide by 10.
- EUR/kWh to cents/kWh: multiply by 100.
For example, 100 EUR/MWh equals 0.10 EUR/kWh or 10 cents/kWh before VAT. A table value of 10 cents/kWh is the rate for each kilowatt-hour consumed in that period. It is not a flat fee for using an appliance for 15 minutes.
Power and energy are also different. Kilowatts describe power, while kilowatt-hours describe energy consumed. An appliance continuously drawing 2 kW uses 2 kWh in an hour or 0.5 kWh in 15 minutes. Its actual consumption can be lower if a thermostat cycles or power changes during operation.
Prices with and without VAT
At 21% VAT, multiply the price before tax by 1.21. The example rate of 10 cents/kWh becomes 12.10 cents/kWh with VAT. If two tables show those values, the tax setting alone can explain the difference.
The VAT switch does not add a supplier markup, connection fee or all the other items on your bill. A market price with VAT is therefore still only part of the cost. Keep the units, date, bidding area and included charges consistent when comparing figures.
Why your bill differs from the chart
Your bill may contain electricity charges, supplier fees, network services, applicable balancing costs and taxes. The contract determines the exact items and their names. The Spotvolt table does not replace your supplier’s bill.
Sadales tīkls tariffs have a fixed capacity component and a variable delivery component. Moving consumption to a cheaper market period does not by itself reduce the fixed connection charge. If your total consumption and network tariff stay the same, delivery costs do not fall merely because you used electricity at a different time.
Your personal average electricity rate also depends on when and how much you consume. The chart’s daily average describes the market. If most of your consumption happens in expensive periods, your consumption-weighted price can be higher than a simple average.
To calculate it, add each interval’s energy consumption multiplied by its price, then divide by total consumption. Using 1 kWh at 5 cents and 3 kWh at 15 cents costs 50 cents for 4 kWh. The weighted price is 12.5 cents/kWh, although the simple average of the two rates is 10 cents/kWh.
Finding a cheaper operating period
No hour is always the cheapest. The night may offer good value on one day and midday on another. Check the published prices for the period when the appliance can actually operate.
Colours help you scan the table. Spotvolt uses thresholds based on the displayed price in cents/kWh. Another website may compare each cell with that day’s average instead. Two charts with identical numbers can therefore use different colours. Compare the number and included charges first.
Start with the required operating duration and completion deadline. Then compare suitable periods within those limits. A washing programme generally needs uninterrupted operation, whereas another appliance might tolerate pauses. Separate cheap quarter-hours are not a substitute for a continuous cycle.
A worked example: two hours at 2 kW
Assume an appliance continuously draws 2 kW for two hours. It uses 4 kWh, or 0.5 kWh in each of eight quarter-hour intervals. Add the costs of all eight intervals to calculate the market-price portion.
If all selected intervals cost 5 cents/kWh before VAT, that portion is 4 × €0.05 = €0.20. At 15 cents/kWh it is 4 × €0.15 = €0.60. The difference is €0.40 before VAT, or €0.484 after applying 21% VAT.
This is an invented example of one cycle’s market costs. It is not measured customer savings or a reduction in the entire bill. A real appliance may draw variable power, and supplier charges or operating constraints can change the result. Verify your own results using actual consumption records.
Does a negative price mean free electricity?
A negative market price means the wholesale value for that delivery interval is below zero. It does not automatically make your household’s total costs negative. Supplier and network charges can exceed the reduction in the market component.
Check your contract and schedule consumption you already need. Running an appliance without a useful purpose merely because the chart shows a negative value is not a universal saving strategy. The decision also involves wear, operating limits and total costs.
Using the prices with household appliances and Spotvolt
Begin with consumption you can move without inconvenience. An appliance’s delayed-start function may be enough to test whether scheduling fits your routine. Compare the result with actual usage and billing before expanding the plan.
Spotvolt’s automation modes include a price threshold, cheapest hours and a time window. Those names describe scheduling rules and should not be confused with the table’s 15-minute resolution. Review the selected appliance’s behaviour and whether interruptions are acceptable.
A smart plug controls the power supply. It does not give a washing machine the ability to restart a programme when power returns, or make an interrupted schedule suitable for a continuous cycle. Check the appliance’s supported behaviour before relying on automation. The Spotvolt product page explains the smart plug and its capabilities.
Price planning can reduce costs for flexible consumption but does not guarantee a lower bill for every household. With a fixed tariff, the amount of energy matters most; with a dynamic tariff, timing matters too. A manageable schedule is more useful than constantly reacting to every movement on the chart.
Common comparison mistakes
- Different VAT settings: compare both prices before VAT or both including VAT.
- Different units: EUR/MWh and cents/kWh show different numbers for the same rate.
- Looking at one cheap cell: evaluate every interval in the operating cycle.
- Confusing wholesale and final costs: add the charges specified in your contract.
- Choosing a tariff from one day: use a longer period and your own consumption profile.
- Using an old chart: check the selected date and data availability.
A useful first step: open Latvia’s electricity price table, check the VAT setting and find a suitable period for one appliance. Afterwards, compare the consumed kWh and costs. That gives you a concrete basis for the next plan.